


Playoff Beard

by ICarryDeathOnMyWings



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Future Fic, Kid Fic, M/M, Playoff Beards, She's adopted, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, baby does NOT like it, jack shaves his beard, they've got a one year odl daughter, yall best be ready for a cavity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:07:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27003247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ICarryDeathOnMyWings/pseuds/ICarryDeathOnMyWings
Summary: Jack and Bitty have a baby who is used to seeing Jack with a beard. Having been knocked out of the playoffs, Jack's got to shave. Might as well make it funny?Or: Jack shaves and baby Sam does not like it at all
Relationships: Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Jack Zimmermann
Comments: 15
Kudos: 222





	Playoff Beard

**Author's Note:**

> My best friend in the world, Sophia, gave me this idea months and months ago because she wanted me to write it and like a dick I didn't! Until now! This is so fucking fluffy, I hope you all enjoy it.

Playoff beards. An absolute necessity to any man in hockey. Jack had grown one out almost every year since joining the NHL, something that he was quite proud of. The fact that he got to grow a beard, not really the beard itself. There was something so intensely satisfying about shaving it off at the end of the season, whether it ended with a bang or not (though, at this point in his career, he was glad to say he had four Stanley Cups under his belt). Winning was getting less important to him, though it was always the goal, Jack was able to relax and enjoy life a lot more than he used to. 

He was able to enjoy all of his time with Bitty, and their daughter, Samantha Anne Bittle-Zimmermann, who, at the end of Jack’s most recent playoff run, was just about a year old. They’d adopted her, or rather, were in the process of adopting her. In just a few short weeks the paperwork would go through and she’d officially be theirs. 

Jack couldn’t wait to scream it from the rooftop.

“Sweetpea?” Bitty wandered into the bathroom Samantha on his hip. Jack had a towel slung low on his hips, having just gotten out of the shower, and was inspecting his face. They’d just lost in round three, being so close and not quite making it was frustrating, but he was glad to be able to spend more time at home now. 

“Hm?” 

“You know those videos where dads shave and film their babies' reactions to it?” 

Jack looked over at Bitty with a raised eyebrow, “I’ve seen them.” 

“I think… I think it’d be funny if we did that with Sam.” 

Sam gurgled, grabbing fistfuls of Bitty’s shirt in her tiny, chubby hands, “Dada!” She babbled, then reached for Jack, “Papa!” Jack took her easily. She patted his cheeks, gently pulling on his beard. He smiled, “I think it’d be funny too. Ow! «Sam, don’t pull so hard.»” Jack would regularly talk to her in French, hoping that she’d pick it up. She did understand some things, in fact, some of her limited vocabulary included a handful of French words, like ‘bien’ and ‘non’ (which Bitty said was just her saying ‘no’ in English, but Jack insisted she had just the slightest accent when she said it). 

Bitty pulled out his phone and started recording, so that people could see what it was like before. Though, in the natural light from the window, with Jack still just a little wet from the shower, still gloriously shirtless, he was getting distracted, “Uh, honey, I think you should put clothes on for this.” 

Jack looked down at himself, “Euh, probably. Don't want to be, what’s it called? A ‘thirsty trap’?” 

Bitty snorted, once again taking Sam but he just walked over to their bed and set her down so she could crawl a little bit over the covers, “That’s almost what they’re called. You're close enough.” 

“Ha! Point Jack.” 

“You’re such a dork. We love you so much. Yes we do, don’t we Miss Sam?” He cooed at the baby, who, instead of crawling, had chosen to flop onto the bed and stare up at Bitty with wide curious eyes. Bitty would never stop being amazed by her. She always wanted to be a part of everything, and was so curious. It would get her into trouble when she was older, he was sure of it, but for now, it just made his heart beat faster and grow a little bigger whenever he got to see the world through her eyes. 

When Jack emerged from the closet, he was wearing gray sweatpants and an old (at this point very old) Samwell shirt, “Better?” 

“Mhm. Though I prefer the frumpy dad look to the sculpted god any day.” 

Jack kissed the top of Bitty’s head, “I’m not frumpy.” 

“Honey, you’ve been frumpy since we met.” 

Jack settled on the bed, laying on his side, with his head propped up by his arm, “ _ Allo, mon petit lapin _ !” He gently tickled her belly, and she squealed, arms and legs flailing about, “Papa!” She reached out, grabbing for his face. She liked to touch faces quite a bit, especially, it seemed, Jack’s beard. 

Bitty was recording the whole thing, heart fit to burst. He’d have to send this part of the video to their parents as soon as Jack went to shave. 

After a few more minutes, Jack rolled off the bed to shave. Bitty took Samantha into the kitchen, set her in the living room where he could keep an eye on her, and started on a batch of cookies. Jack was only gone for a few minutes, and by the time he left the bathroom, holding a towel to his lower face, Bitty was putting the cookies in the oven. He straightened, met Jack’s eyes and started laughing. 

“I didn't want her to see yet!” 

“Honey, you’re so cute!” 

“Laughing at me. You’re awful. This was your idea.” 

“I know, I know, sweetpea. I’m sorry.” He grabbed his phone, making his way over to the living room. He sat down beside Samantha, who giggled and kicked her feet, “Dada! Papa!” 

Jack sat in front of her, and when she reached for the towel, he let her pull it down. 

Sam’s reaction was instant. For the first second, her smile fell away, the next second she blinked a few times in quick succession before she started wailing her head off. Bitty, who knew he probably  _ shouldn't be laughing,  _ was trying very hard to keep the camera steady as his body shook in amusement. 

“No, no,  _ lapin _ , don’t cry.” Jack reached over to run his finger gently over Sam’s cheek, “It’s me! See!” He covered the bottom of his face with a hand, “Look! It’s Papa!” 

“Papa?” She hiccuped. Jack, slowly this time, lowered his hand, getting her used to every new part that was exposed. She patted the skin gently, her tears having dried up a few moments prior. Bitty set his phone to the side, leaning forwards to kiss the top of her head. Once she’d patted every inch of his face, and found the results to be acceptable, she broke out into a grin once again, “Papa!” 

Jack scooped her up easily, rolling onto his back with her settled onto his chest. He smiled, “ _ Lapin _ !” 

Bitty pecked Jack’s lips before heading to the kitchen to pull out the cookies when the timer beeped. It only took a moment for Jack to follow, Sam in his arms. Ever the polite husband, Jack waited off to the side until Bitty had set the cookies down before cornering him against the counter. 

“What do you think you’re doing, Mister Bittle-Zimmermann?” 

“Didn’t get your reaction.” He stooped down, pressing a light kiss to Bitty’s lips. Bitty sighed happily into it, and when Jack pulled away, Bitty cupped his freshly shaved cheek, running his thumb slowly over the now smooth skin, “I’ve always preferred you clean shaven. But you’re always very handsome to me, even when you’re dressed like a frumpy dad.” 

“You said you preferred this!” 

“I do!” He leaned up to kiss Jack’s chin. As he did, he noticed a smell coming from Sam that not even the cookies to mask, “I think frumpy dad needs to go change someone’s diaper.” 

Sam squealed, wiggling her arms about. Jack sighed dramatically, “And to think, I could be in the finals right now.” He turned, teasing smile clear on his lips. 

As he walked away, Bitty playfully smacked his ass, “Like there’s anywhere else you’d rather be. Sam, tell Papa he’s being ridiculous.” 

Sam babbled up at Jack, patting his cheeks and blowing raspberries. Bitty was right, there was nowhere else in the world Jack would rather be. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! If you did please leave a kudos and a comment, they mean the world to me!


End file.
